BBC ON THIS DAY | 8 | 1980: John Lennon shot dead About This Site | Text Only 1980: John Lennon shot dead Former Beatle John Lennon has been shot dead by an unknown gunman who opened fire outside the musician's New York apartment. The 40-year-old was shot several times as he entered the Dakota, his luxury apartment building on Manhattan's Upper West Side, opposite Central Park, at 2300 local time. He was rushed in a police car to St Luke's Roosevelt Hospital Center, where he died. His wife, Yoko Ono, who is understood to have witnessed the attack, was with him. Shots heard A police spokesman said a suspect was in custody, but he had no other details of the shooting. "This was no robbery," the spokesman said, adding that Mr Lennon was probably shot by a "deranged" person. Witness reports say at least three shots were fired and others have claimed they heard six. There are also reports Mr Lennon staggered up six steps into the vestibule after he was shot, before collapsing.

Jack Douglas, Lennon's producer, said he and the Lennons had been at a studio called the Record Plant in mid-town earlier in the evening and Lennon left at 2230. Mr Lennon said he planned to have some dinner and then return home, Mr Douglas said. Fans at scene The Lennons are said to have left their limousine on the street and walked up the driveway when the gunman opened fire. It is unclear whether the man had been lying in wait in the entrance to the building for Mr Lennon, or whether he came up behind him. Witnesses describe the gunman as a "pudgy kind of man", 35 to 40 years old with brown hair. Other former band members, Paul McCartney, guitarist George Harrison and drummer Ringo Starr are thought to have been informed of Lennon's murder. Fans have already begun arriving at the scene, many still unaware Lennon has died. Mr Lennon is survived by his wife, their son Sean, and his son from a previous marriage, Julian.

John Lennon Biography John Lennon Biography BORN: October 9, 1940, Liverpool, England DIED: December 8, 1980, New York, NY John Lennon was born on October 9, 1940 in Liverpool, England. When he was four years old, his parents separated and he ended up living with his Aunt Mimi. John's father was a merchant seaman and John did not see a lot of his father when he was small. As a child, John was a prankster and he enjoyed getting in trouble. As a boy and young adult, John enjoyed drawing grotesque figures and cripples. One of the reasons for his obsession with cripples and deformities was because of the Death of his Mother Julia. The John's school master thought that John could go to an art school for college, since he did not get good grades in school, but had artistic talent. He made it to art school, and was not allow to play "Rock and Roll". At this college, he met a woman by the name of Cynthia Powell, who became his first wife. As a child, John lived a life of uninterrupted calm. He didn't recall feeling desperately sad or unusually happy.

Unfortunately that calm was suddenly shattered when his mother died before his 18th birthday. John did not like to talk about the death of his mother, because it was to great a sorrow to be publicized. After the death of his mother, John went to live with his Aunt Mimi. John consider his Aunt Mimi the greatest person. They lived in a little house, with frilly curtains at the windows, and an old apple tree in the front garden. When John was away from home, he thought about Aunt Mimi and her frilly curtains and her apple tree, and he realized how fortunate he was. Because, though his mother was taken away from him, he was given something precious in return. At sixteen, Elvis is what was happening. John created the group called the "Quarry Man". They performed at school. One day, Paul McCartney was introduced to him. At this point, John ask Paul if he could join the group, and he accepted the next day. Paul McCartney introduced George Harrison to John Lennon. The first recording they made was called "That will be the day" by Buddy Holly. John came up with the name Beatles for the group.

John had a vision when he was 12 years old - a man appeared on a Flaming pie and said unto them 'From this day on you are Beatles with an 'A'. The Beatles were discovered by Brian Epstein in the Cavern, where they were performing. After Brian discovered the Beatles he became their manager. The Beatles released their first single "Love me Do", with George Martin as their producer. This song went up the charts the second day it was released. "Love Me Do" got up to 17. The Beatles first number one chart was "Please Please Me" written by John Lennon. This song was inspired primarily by Roy Orbison but also fed by John's infatuation with the pun in Bing Crosby's famous "Please, lend your little ears to my please," John married Cynthia Powell in August 1962 and they had a son together who they called Julian.Cynthia described John as "Rough, ready and not her type at all, but had an irresistible character". Since the Beatles were becoming very popular at the time, Cynthia had to keep a very low profile. John Lennon divorced Cynthia and re-married with Yoko Ono who he met at the Indica Gallery in November 1966.

In 1970, the Beatles broke up also, after Paul McCartney has announced that he is leaving the Beatles. After the Beatles broke up, John Lennon went his way and he tried to send out his message out clearer. He started doing this by releasing his first solo album Imagine. Imagine was a passion of John. It crystallized his dream for the world and his idealism. And it was something that John really wanted to say to the world. Imagine was the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed of all John Lennon's post-Beatles efforts. After the Beatles broke up, Paul wrote some songs with hidden message, which upset John. In response to this John wrote, "How do you sleep ?" and released this also on the Imagine album. In 1972, John Lennon gave a charity concert. The concert was held in Madison Square Garden, August 30, 1972, to help improve the living conditions of the mentally handicapped children. Starting with the Toronto Peace Festival in 1969, John with Yoko did a series of rock concerts as their statement of Peace and Love, and to spotlight various social issues effectively. All proceeds from the concerts were given to the needy.

This concert in Madison Square garden turned out to be the last concert John did with the Plastic Ono Band. In 1972 the Vietnam War protest was at its height. The Feminist Movement was in a stage of awakening. The concert was filled with love of brotherhood and sisterhood. Everybody joined in on the stage at the end when they sang "Give Peace a chance". People could not contain themselves and marched down Fifth Avenue after the performance, singing "Give Peace a Chance". John Lennon performed with his new band : "Plastic Ono Band". In 1973, John and Yoko separated for 14 month, because of all the public pressure and problems they were going through. John went to Los Angeles and he was single again after a long time. John became a drunk and was only partying . May Pang became John's companion during this time as a guidance. During this time, people start seeing more of John. John recorded different records like "Mind Games", "Rock and Roll", "Walls and Bridges" . He worked with Ringo on his album, David Bowie with his "Fame" album and also with Elton John during this time.

After going through all this, John realizes that there was not really anybody that loves him, besides Yoko. So he returned back to Yoko. He realizes that he really really loves her and that he could not live without her. On October 9, 1975, Yoko gave birth to John's other son Sean. John left his whole music career for 5 years to raise his son. John did not miss music at all during this period. He became a househusband and raised his son. John did not really exist anymore in the music world. John realized that there is no life without music after 5 years. He was able to write songs now with ease since there were no pressure. John wrote all the songs on "Double Fantasy" in a period of 3 weeks. This album was written, recorded, and released in 1980. When John was singing and writing this album, he was visualizing everybody in his age group. Unfortunately, John was shot in front of his apartment complex in New York while he was in the process of releasing another album "Milk and Honey".

John died of the age of 40 in the Roosevelt Hospital on December 8, 1980, after receiving multiple gun shot in the back. The Double Fantasy album is a great album, which contain one ironic title songs "Just like starting over" now after John's death. John was just starting over again, when he was killed. John Lennon created the Beatles and with Paul, Ringo and George, they made great music together. John was not a follower, but a leader and was always fighting for people's right. He was a person that cared for other people and expresses himself by making different political statements. John was not only a great music writer, but also an excellent pop artist and did a lot in the Rock and Roll music world. John can not and will never be replaced by anybody. His songs will live forever in all our hearts and minds. Just Give Peace a Chance and lets work together to a great and much better world. BORN: October 9, 1940, Liverpool, England DIED: December 8, 1980, New York, NY John Lennon was born on October 9, 1940 in Liverpool, England.

When he was four years old, his parents separated and he ended up living with his Aunt Mimi. John's father was a merchant seaman and John did not see a lot of his father when he was small. As a child, John was a prankster and he enjoyed getting in trouble. As a boy and young adult, John enjoyed drawing grotesque figures and cripples. One of the reasons for his obsession with cripples and deformities was because of the Death of his Mother Julia. The John's school master thought that John could go to an art school for college, since he did not get good grades in school, but had artistic talent. He made it to art school, and was not allow to play "Rock and Roll". At this college, he met a woman by the name of Cynthia Powell, who became his first wife. As a child, John lived a life of uninterrupted calm. He didn't recall feeling desperately sad or unusually happy. Unfortunately that calm was suddenly shattered when his mother died before his 18th birthday. John did not like to talk about the death of his mother, because it was to great a sorrow to be publicized. After the death of his mother, John went to live with his Aunt Mimi.

John consider his Aunt Mimi the greatest person. They lived in a little house, with frilly curtains at the windows, and an old apple tree in the front garden. When John was away from home, he thought about Aunt Mimi and her frilly curtains and her apple tree, and he realized how fortunate he was. Because, though his mother was taken away from him, he was given something precious in return. At sixteen, Elvis is what was happening. John created the group called the "Quarry Man". They performed at school. One day, Paul McCartney was introduced to him. At this point, John ask Paul if he could join the group, and he accepted the next day. Paul McCartney introduced George Harrison to John Lennon. The first recording they made was called "That will be the day" by Buddy Holly. John came up with the name Beatles for the group. John had a vision when he was 12 years old - a man appeared on a Flaming pie and said unto them 'From this day on you are Beatles with an 'A'. The Beatles were discovered by Brian Epstein in the Cavern, where they were performing. After Brian discovered the Beatles he became their manager.

The Beatles released their first single "Love me Do", with George Martin as their producer. This song went up the charts the second day it was released. "Love Me Do" got up to 17. The Beatles first number one chart was "Please Please Me" written by John Lennon. This song was inspired primarily by Roy Orbison but also fed by John's infatuation with the pun in Bing Crosby's famous "Please, lend your little ears to my please," John married Cynthia Powell in August 1962 and they had a son together who they called Julian.Cynthia described John as "Rough, ready and not her type at all, but had an irresistible character". Since the Beatles were becoming very popular at the time, Cynthia had to keep a very low profile. John Lennon divorced Cynthia and re-married with Yoko Ono who he met at the Indica Gallery in November 1966. In 1970, the Beatles broke up also, after Paul McCartney has announced that he is leaving the Beatles. After the Beatles broke up, John Lennon went his way and he tried to send out his message out clearer. He started doing this by releasing his first solo album Imagine. Imagine was a passion of John.

It crystallized his dream for the world and his idealism. And it was something that John really wanted to say to the world. Imagine was the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed of all John Lennon's post-Beatles efforts. After the Beatles broke up, Paul wrote some songs with hidden message, which upset John. In response to this John wrote, "How do you sleep ?" and released this also on the Imagine album. In 1972, John Lennon gave a charity concert. The concert was held in Madison Square Garden, August 30, 1972, to help improve the living conditions of the mentally handicapped children. Starting with the Toronto Peace Festival in 1969, John with Yoko did a series of rock concerts as their statement of Peace and Love, and to spotlight various social issues effectively. All proceeds from the concerts were given to the needy. This concert in Madison Square garden turned out to be the last concert John did with the Plastic Ono Band. In 1972 the Vietnam War protest was at its height. The Feminist Movement was in a stage of awakening. The concert was filled with love of brotherhood and sisterhood.

Everybody joined in on the stage at the end when they sang "Give Peace a chance". People could not contain themselves and marched down Fifth Avenue after the performance, singing "Give Peace a Chance". John Lennon performed with his new band : "Plastic Ono Band". In 1973, John and Yoko separated for 14 month, because of all the public pressure and problems they were going through. John went to Los Angeles and he was single again after a long time. John became a drunk and was only partying . May Pang became John's companion during this time as a guidance. During this time, people start seeing more of John. John recorded different records like "Mind Games", "Rock and Roll", "Walls and Bridges" . He worked with Ringo on his album, David Bowie with his "Fame" album and also with Elton John during this time. After going through all this, John realizes that there was not really anybody that loves him, besides Yoko. So he returned back to Yoko. He realizes that he really really loves her and that he could not live without her. On October 9, 1975, Yoko gave birth to John's other son Sean.

John left his whole music career for 5 years to raise his son. John did not miss music at all during this period. He became a househusband and raised his son. John did not really exist anymore in the music world. John realized that there is no life without music after 5 years. He was able to write songs now with ease since there were no pressure. John wrote all the songs on "Double Fantasy" in a period of 3 weeks. This album was written, recorded, and released in 1980. When John was singing and writing this album, he was visualizing everybody in his age group. Unfortunately, John was shot in front of his apartment complex in New York while he was in the process of releasing another album "Milk and Honey". John died of the age of 40 in the Roosevelt Hospital on December 8, 1980, after receiving multiple gun shot in the back. The Double Fantasy album is a great album, which contain one ironic title songs "Just like starting over" now after John's death. John was just starting over again, when he was killed. John Lennon created the Beatles and with Paul, Ringo and George, they made great music together.

John was not a follower, but a leader and was always fighting for people's right. He was a person that cared for other people and expresses himself by making different political statements. John was not only a great music writer, but also an excellent pop artist and did a lot in the Rock and Roll music world. John can not and will never be replaced by anybody. His songs will live forever in all our hearts and minds. Just Give Peace a Chance and lets work together to a great and much better world. John Lennon Biography John Lennon - Biography - IMDb John Lennon Biography Showing all 174 items Jump to: Overview (4) | Mini Bio (1) | Spouse (2) | Trade Mark (9) | Trivia (103) | Personal Quotes (55) Overview (4) 5' 10½" (1.79 m) Mini Bio (1) John Winston (later Ono) Lennon was born on October 9, 1940, in Liverpool, England, to Julia (Stanley) and Alfred Lennon, a merchant seaman. He was of Irish, and some Welsh and English, ancestry.

In the mid-1950s, he formed his first band, The Quarrymen (after Quarry Bank High School, which he attended) who, with the addition of Paul McCartney and George Harrison , later became The Beatles . After some years of performing in Liverpool and Hamburg, Germany, "Beatlemania" erupted in England and Europe in 1963 after the release of their singles "Love Me Do" and "Please Please Me". The next year the Beatles flew to America to appear on The Ed Sullivan Show (1948) (aka The Ed Sullivan Show), and Beatlemania spread worldwide. Queen Elizabeth II granted all four Beatles M.B.E. medals in 1965, for import revenues from their record sales; John returned his four years later, as part of an antiwar statement. John and the Beatles continued to tour and perform live until 1966, when protests over his calling the Beatles phenomenon "more popular than Jesus" and the frustrations of touring made the band decide to quit the road. They devoted themselves to studio work, recording and releasing albums such as "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", "Magical Mystery Tour" and the "White Album".

Instead of appearing live, the band began making their own "pop clips" (an early term for music videos), which were featured on television programs of the time. In the late 1960s John began performing and making albums with his second wife Yoko Ono , as the Beatles began to break up. Their first two albums, "Two Virgins" and "Life With The Lions", were experimental and flops by Beatles standards, while their "Wedding Album" was almost a vanity work, but their live album "Live Peace In Toronto" became a Top Ten hit, at the end of the 1960s. In the early 1970s John and Yoko continued to record together, making television appearances and performing at charity concerts. After the release of John's biggest hit, "Imagine", they moved to the US, where John was nearly deported because of his political views (a late-'60s conviction for possession of hashish in the U.K. was the excuse given by the government), but after a four-year legal battle he won the right to stay.

In the midst of this, John and Yoko separated for over a year; John lived in Los Angeles with personal assistant May Pang , while Yoko dated guitarist David Spinozza . When John made a guest appearance at Elton John 's Thanksgiving 1974 concert, Yoko was in the audience, and surprised John backstage. They reconciled in early 1975, and Yoko soon became pregnant. After the birth of their son Sean Lennon , John settled into the roles of "househusband" and full-time daddy, while Yoko became his business manager; both appeared happy in their new life together. After a five-year break from music and the public eye, they made a comeback with their album "Double Fantasy", but within weeks of their re-emergence, Lennon was murdered on the evening of December 8, 1980 by Mark David Chapman , a one-time Beatles fan angry and jealous over John's ongoing career, who fatally shot Lennon four times in the back outside his apartment building, The Dakota, as Lennon was returning from a recording session. Within minutes after being shot, John Lennon was dead at age 40.

His violent death was a sudden and tragic end to the life of a talented singer and musician who wanted to make a difference in the world. - IMDb Mini Biography By: paulabb Spouse (2) An actor named Mark Lindsay Chapman lost the part of John Lennon in John and Yoko: A Love Story (1985), because he had a similar name (Mark Chapman) as Lennon's killer. Chapman later portrayed Lennon in Chapter 27 (2007). When "Rolling Stone" magazine was launched in November 1967, Lennon made the first cover, in a photo from How I Won the War (1967). The first instrument he learned to play was the harmonica. He used a number of pseudonyms in his musical work. These include Dr. Winston O'Boogie, Booker Table, Dwarf McDougal, Rev. Fred Ghurkin, Mel Torment, Dr. Dream, The Honorable John St. John Johnson, John O'Cean, Joel Nohnn, Kaptain Kundalini, Dad and Winston Leg-Thigh.

Inducted posthumously into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Beatles January 20, 1988. Added "Ono" to his name in honour of wife Yoko Ono (aka Yoko Ono Lennon); he wished to drop his middle name Winston, but couldn't under British law. While he never used "Winston" again, his U.S. Resident Alien card (aka "green card") was issued to "John Winston Ono Lennon." He was given his U.S. Resident Alien registration (his "green card") on the bicentennial of the American revolution: July 4, 1976. He was also informed that he would be eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship in 1981. He wrote the song "Beautiful Boy" for his son Sean Lennon , who was born on John's 35th birthday. His murder was first announced to the world by U.S. sportscaster Howard Cosell during NFL Monday Night Football (1970). According to Frank Gifford , Lennon met Ronald Reagan when both were guests on "Monday Night Football" in the mid-1970s.

After appearing on the show, he gave Gifford and Cosell each a complete collection of The Beatles albums, which he autographed. Assassinated as he returned from the recording studio at around 10:49 pm on Monday, December 8, 1980, outside the Dakota, his apartment building in New York, by Mark David Chapman , a crazed fan who shot Lennon four times in his back at close range (at least one gunshot wound was fatal which was to the aorta just above Lennon's heart). Lennon was declared D.O.A. (Dead On Arrival; either already dead or near death) at 11:07 pm when he was brought by the police to St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital's emergency room. In 1974, he and singer Harry Nilsson were ejected from the Troubadour Club in Hollywood by the bouncers, after they both heckled the Smothers Brothers ( Tom Smothers and Dick Smothers ) onstage.

Lennon and Nilsson both sent flowers and an apology to the Smothers Brothers the next day, and Lennon replied to a columnist's speculation that he might have been using drugs, with the confirmation that they'd simply had too many Brandy Alexanders. In 2001 the Liverpool Airport was renamed the John Lennon Airport after him. In 2005, a replica of a Yellow Submarine was unveiled outside this airport as a further commemorative gesture. Widow Yoko Ono 's photograph of John's spectacles, bloodstained from day he was fatally shot outside their apartment building in December 1980, sold at auction in London, April 2002 for about $13,000. At a second Christie's auction later in April, two tape recordings of Lennon were also sold. One, from the summer of 1969, was of Lennon making up tunes and telling six-year-old Kyoko about a dwarf who lived in their garden. It sold for $110,000. The other tape, a 25-minute recording of Lennon working on the melody and lyrics for "She Said She Said", contains lyrics never heard in the song's final version.

It sold for $85,200. Posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (as a solo artist) in 1994. His "In My Life" was played at the funeral of Kurt Cobain . In 1989, the Republic of Abkhazia (in the former Soviet Georgia) proclaimed independence. To show the world they were rejecting their Communist past, they issued two postage stamps of Groucho Marx and Lennon (as opposed to Karl Marx and V.I. Lenin ). He is one of several famous and tragic figures from history to be featured on the sleeve artwork of the album "Clutching at Straws" by rock band Marillion (released in 1987). His voice was also sampled for the introduction of the Marillion song "Gazpacho" (the opening track of their 1995 album "Afraid of Sunlight"). Paul McCartney wrote "Here Today" as a tribute to him. George Harrison remembered Lennon with his song "All Those Years Ago" (featuring Ringo Starr on drums, and Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney on background vocals). He is referenced in the work of several other music artists.

Queen recorded a tribute to Lennon called "Life Is Real" from their "Hot Space" album. His death is the subject of The Chameleons ' song "Here Today" (from their 1983 album "Script of the Bridge"). The Cranberries ' song "I Just Shot John Lennon" explored the day of his murder. The Marillion song "Warm Wet Circles" refers to it in the lyric "like a bullet hole in Central Park" (from their 1987 album "Clutching at Straws"). His death is also referred to in the lyrics of the Badly Drawn Boy song "You Were Right" and the Bellamy Brothers ' song "Old Hippie". O.A.R. wrote "Dakota" from their album "Stories of a Stranger" in memory of Lennon. Richie Sambora 's song "Made In America" references Lennon's death and addresses his legacy. Elton John (a friend of Lennon's) recorded "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)" from his 1982 album "Jump Up!" as a tribute.

David Bowie (also a friend) recorded the song "Never Let Me Down" (the title track of his 1987 album) as a homage to Lennon (Bowie sang it in the style of Lennon as well as performing mouth organ and whistling in a Lennon style). In 2002 Paul McCartney changed the credits to many of the songs he wrote with Lennon to "McCartney & Lennon" (from "Lennon & McCartney") to a large public uproar. However, this was not the first time McCartney's name appeared first; many of their early songs were so credited, and the same had been done with songs on the 1976 live album "Wings Over America". In the credits to Give My Regards to Broad Street (1984), McCartney's name appeared prominently - and alone - as composer of the songs performed, which included The Beatles tunes "Yesterday" and "Here, There and Everywhere". Was photographed for the cover of "Rolling Stone" magazine by Annie Leibovitz on the day he was murdered. Had also just recorded an extensive interview for RKO Radio, and for the BBC the week before.

He was preoccupied with the number nine: An avant-garde composition on The Beatles ' "White Album" was "Revolution 9", while a solo recording of his was "#9 Dream", a term he gave to a state of enlightenment. He died at 11 p.m. on December 8, 1980 in New York, but in his native England (five hours ahead), it was already December 9. His neighbors at the Dakota included singer Roberta Flack , and actors Peter Boyle , Gloria Swanson , and Lauren Bacall . His mother Julia was killed by a drunk driver when John was seventeen; his stepfather broke down at the news, and John had to go with the police to identify her body (he later named his first son [ Julian Lennon ] for her, and remembered his mother in the song "Julia", ten years after her death). His best friend and former band mate Stuart Sutcliffe died from a brain hemorrhage in 1962, when they were both 21; John asked Stuart's mother for the old scarf he'd worn to art school, and kept it as a memento.

In the days leading up to Lennon's murder, his killer Mark David Chapman "lived the life" (in his words) of J.D. Salinger 's "Catcher in the Rye" narrator Holden Caulfield, and was browsing a copy of that book when he was arrested. Married first wife Cynthia Lennon at the Mount Pleasant Registry Office in Liverpool; married second wife Yoko Ono on the Rock of Gibraltar. Cremated privately the day after his death. Yoko Ono has never revealed the whereabouts of the ashes, or what happened to them. In lieu of a funeral for John, Yoko asked the public for ten minutes of silence and prayer at 2pm ET on the following Sunday, December 14th, and to contribute to charities in his memory. Besides re-releases of his music, his presence has remained in the marketplace and media through selections from his writings and drawings, including a line of children's products based on creations made for son Sean Lennon . He didn't spend every day of his five years' retirement at the Dakota.

Yoko Ono or one of their consultants would occasionally send him (or the family) to different spots around the globe, for vacations or good-luck trips, beginning with a flight around the world from west to east to "clear their karma". Lennon had to visit Hong Kong alone, book his own room, and see to his own meals, which he'd never done in his life; after a nervous first day (spent mostly in the bath), he finally tried going out for a walk - and was surprised to find that nobody took him for more than a tourist, let alone one of the world-famous Beatles. Not getting the celebrity treatment for the first time since his early twenties, he felt like he'd rediscovered himself. Although his music with and after The Beatles usually featured the latest technical and sound innovations, he was all thumbs when it came to most audio/visual equipment, and usually depended on a knowing technician or assistant to give him the sound or look he wanted. He also spent little time on remixing with his solo records; latter-day remasters of his solo albums have been carefully remixed, bringing out many subtleties in the music buried or lost in the original mixes.

His first girlfriend (at age fifteen) was named Barbara Baker; his girlfriend at Art school (before dating Cynthia Powell, later Cynthia Lennon ) was named Thelma Pickles. Yoko Ono signed over the royalties of his song "Imagine", in perpetuity, to Amnesty International, a world-wide organization devoted to political prisoners. Lennon declared his favorite album to be "Safe as Milk", by Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band , buying two copies for the included sticker. Shortly before his death, he also said he enjoyed The Pretenders ' hit single "Brass in Pocket" as well as the debut album of The B-52's because it reminded him of Yoko Ono 's music. He was voted as a solo artist as the 38th Greatest Rock and Roll Artist by "Rolling Stone". The Beatles were voted the Greatest Rock and Roll Artists of all time on the same list in the magazine. Was a bright child, but not much of a student from secondary school (akin to middle and high school) on; he found little to engage him, and failed his last round of final exams by just a few points.

Was able to enter Art school on a headmaster's recommendation, but found it no more engaging, and slacked off, giving most of his energies to the Beatles, friends and girlfriends. Danish rock band Dizzy Mizz Lizzy is not only named after a famous Beatles song (written by Larry Williams), but included on their second album "Rotator" was the song "11.07pm" honoring the memory of lead singer Tim Christensen 's greatest songwriting inspiration. After his conviction for hashish possession in the fall of 1968 (he pleaded guilty on his lawyer's advice, to "get it behind him" and to keep Yoko Ono from being prosecuted, and possibly deported from the U.K.), Lennon was denied entry into the U.S. during 1969 and 1970, at the height of his and Yoko's "peace campaign". Psychiatrist and Primal therapist Dr.

Arthur Janov was able to arrange a medical visa for Lennon late in 1970, on the grounds that he and Yoko had come to Janov for treatment, and they were also allowed to return the next year for a series of custody hearings over Yoko's daughter Kyoko Ono Cox . Their decision to stay in America at the end of 1971 led to a four-year court battle, with the hashish conviction at its heart (the conviction was eventually overturned by a U.S. court, clearing the way for him to apply for permanent resident status). Kept his old bow-tie from Quarry Bank School, and wore it for special occasions as an adult. Also had a favorite necktie that he wore every day to court in the mid-1970s, during his immigration hearings, and later during a lawsuit brought against him by publisher Morris Levy . His "Mind Games" album came about because in 1973 the other members of The Beatles were behind quota in their renegotiated contract with EMI.

Neither George Harrison nor Ringo Starr had released albums in 1971 or 1972 (Harrison's The Concert for Bangladesh (1972) soundtrack didn't count under the contract, as a charity all-star album, co-distributed by EMI and Columbia Records), while Lee Eastman had brokered a separate deal for son-in-law Paul McCartney . Lennon was in no hurry to return to recording after the failure of 1972's "Some Time In New York City", but with legal action pending against the former band, he locked himself away in a bedroom for 48 hours, writing and polishing off an album's worth of songs, which he recorded quickly a couple of weeks later. The album was only a modest hit, but it satisfied EMI's requirements. The Beatles experimented with names throughout 1959. At one point they were called "Johnny and the Moondogs." Another time they turned up to a show in different coloured shirts, and called themselves "The Rainbows".

The cover of Rolling Stone issue featuring a nude Lennon hugging and kissing a fully clothed Yoko Ono taken by photographer Annie Leibovitz was voted the top magazine cover of the last 40 years by a panel of magazine editors, artists and designers chosen by the American Society of Magazine Editors. The photo was the cover of Rolling Stone's tribute to Lennon after his death. Ironically, the picture was taken on the last day of Lennon's life. Moving to New York City in the early 1970s, he and Yoko Ono first sublet a luxury apartment in the Dakota Hotel from actor Robert Ryan , then purchased it from Ryan's estate following his death. They later purchased several other apartments in the same building. One became their office, another storage for their video collection, another storage for clothing. One with Lennon's instruments and jukebox briefly became the "Club Dakota", for a New Year's party with publicist Elliot Mintz . His song "Jealous Guy" became a UK number one single for Roxy Music in 1981 and was recorded as a tribute to Lennon.

The band's lead singer Bryan Ferry later performed it at the Live Aid (1985) concert at Wembley Stadium in 1985. His song "Imagine" was performed by Peter Gabriel at the opening ceremony to the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin, Italy. According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industries in 2006, The Beatles are the biggest popular music act of all time, with 400 million albums sold (50 million more albums than their runner-up, Michael Jackson ). In 1969 he recorded the song "Give Peace A Chance" in room 1742, Queen Elizabeth Hotel, Montréal, Canada. Norman Mailer , Tom Smothers , and Timothy Leary can be heard as part of the chorus. Was the only member of The Beatles to eat meat regularly. Ringo Starr was a vegetarian for life, due to health problems. George Harrison converted in 1968, and Paul McCartney became one in 1975. Lennon mostly followed a macrobiotic diet (with brown rice as a staple), but not strictly.

It was after hearing Paul McCartney 's new single "Coming Up" that Lennon decided to return to music in early 1980. His reported response was, "Oh shit, I've got to get back." Lennon loved the song. Isolated himself from the members of The Beatles after 1974. He had slammed Paul McCartney in the press (to which McCartney vehemently responded), he and George Harrison had stopped talking after an argument over The Concert For Bangladesh (Lennon wanted Yoko Ono to be an integral part of the show, and Harrison didn't want her to even perform). Lennon was also deeply hurt that Harrison largely left him out of his autobiography "I, Me, Mine". They never spoke again after the release of the book. He stayed away from Ringo Starr because he wanted to stay sober (and Starr was always drinking). He and McCartney were together for the last time on April 24th, 1976 (the night of the first Saturday Night Live (1975) offer of $3200 for the Beatles to reunite). Harrison maintained in later years that their disagreement was petty and that there was no real animosity between them.

Was the first Beatle to perform solo, appearing in The Rolling Stones 's The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus (1996) (filmed in December 1968), and also at a concert in Toronto the next year. Was also the only Beatle never to do a solo tour. Tours were planned for 1972 (cancelled because of his immigration problems) and 1981 (cancelled after his death). It was said that the birth of his son and his new fatherhood in 1975 made him much more sweet and mellow, even watching The Beatles ' films and cartoons and listening to their records with Sean Lennon . Although he gave a rather biting interview to Playboy magazine in 1980, he was said by most of his associates to be much easier to work with in that part of his life. The only member of The Beatles never to attend a Paul McCartney solo concert. Ringo Starr went to one in 1976 and Harrison went to one in 1993 (both preferred not to go onstage).

Lennon was planning to visit McCartney in New Orleans during the "Venus and Mars" album sessions, but canceled when Yoko Ono became pregnant with Sean Lennon . Was best man at Peter Boyle 's wedding to Loraine Alterman Boyle Felt that both "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Across the Universe" were poorly recorded. Posthumous winner of the British Phonographic Industry Award for Outstanding Contribution in 1982. Is portrayed by Tim Piper in The Linda McCartney Story (2000). The Beatles were inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame for their outstanding contribution to British music and integral part of British music culture. [November 2004] Amateur photographer Paul Goresh was the last person to photograph Lennon alive, autographing his "Double Fantasy" album for Mark David Chapman , just hours before Chapman fatally shot Lennon. A press photographer sneaked into the morgue, photographing Lennon's body in state before it was taken to be cremated. He was a huge fan of Bing Crosby late in his life, reintroduced to Crosby's music by a restauranteur friend. Is portrayed by Ian Hart in Backbeat (1994).

Inducted with Paul McCartney into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1987. He claimed a disdain for The Beatles memorabilia, but privately sent assistants to fan conventions (including the early Beatlefests) to buy interesting or special items. One such trip reunited him with German friend Jürgen Vollmer . Considered showing up at a convention unannounced, just to see the reaction, but never did. Was taught banjo chords by his mother, Julia, and played his guitar at first in banjo style. Paul McCartney later taught him proper guitar chords. Only performed three songs of The Beatles in concert after the group broke up, "Come Together" in Madison Square Garden in 1972, and "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" and "I Saw Her Standing There" with Elton John , back at Madison Square Garden on Thanksgiving, 1974. His Steinway Model Z upright piano, the instrument he used to compose and record his signature song "Imagine", was bought by singer George Michael for £1.67m in the year 2000, who then donated it to Liverpool's Beatles Story museum.

Voted the fifth greatest singer of the rock era in a Rolling Stone magazine poll in 2008. During the 1960s he had attempted to instigate a live action adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien 's "Lord Of The Rings" books (of which he was a fan), starring himself and his Beatle bandmates. Lennon had expressed interest in the role of Gollum, with Paul McCartney playing Frodo, Ringo Starr playing Sam and George Harrison playing Gandalf. He and The Beatles were awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 7080 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California. He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 1750 Vine Street in Hollywood, California. Its location is a few steps north of the (recently sold) Capitol Records tower. Best man at Peter Boyle 's wedding on October 21, 1977. Boyle's wife was friends with Yoko Ono . Several of his personal assistants (and also his and Yoko Ono 's tarot reader) later wrote memoirs of their time with Lennon, and each successive one picks up the approximate storyline where the last left off.

These in order are: "The Beatles, Lennon and Me" by Peter Shotton (Lennon's boyhood friend, later on the board of Apple Corps; worked briefly as their personal assistant), "John Lennon: One Day At a Time" by Anthony Fawcett (personal assistant from 1968-1971), "Loving John" by May Pang (personal assistant from 1972-1975, and also Lennon's lover with Ono's sanction), "Dakota Days" by John Green (Lennon and Ono's tarot reader from 1975-1980), and "The Last Days of John Lennon" by Frederic Seaman (personal assistant from 1979-1982). Owned several cars in the 1960s, but gave up driving after he totaled his Aston-Martin on a trip to Scotland with Yoko Ono , Julian Lennon and Kyoko Ono Cox . Ono's back was sprained; the rest of them required stitches. Lennon and Ono later mounted the wrecked car on a pillar at Tittenhurst Park.

May Pang learned to drive when she and Lennon were living in Los Angeles, so they could travel together along the California coast. Number 9 connection: he was born on 9 October 1940, his son Sean Lennon was also born 9 October, 1975. He wrote the songs "#9 Dream" (part of Lennon's ninth solo album "Walls and Bridges", which was released in the ninth month of 1974 and peaked at #9 in the US charts) and with The Beatles - One After 909 and Revolution 9. In a 2007 interview on the BBC Radio program Desert Island Discs, his wife, Yoko Ono , revealed what his last words were. She said that he wanted to go home and see son Sean before he went to sleep rather than go out for dinner after leaving the recording studio. According to Ono: "I said 'Shall we go and have dinner before we go home?' and John said, 'No, let's go home because I want to see Sean before he goes to sleep.'" Moments later, he was gunned down in front of the historic Dakota building where the family lived in New York City.

One of the last recordings he made prior to his death was for fellow Beatle Ringo Starr 's solo album "Stop and Smell the Roses". John and his wife, Yoko Ono , joined Starr at Cherokee Studios in Hollywood where the album was being recorded. John Lennon shot dead by Mark David Chapman in 1980 - NY Daily News Legendary Beatles singer shot dead by Mark David Chapman John Lennon shot dead by Mark David Chapman in 1980 NEW YORK DAILY NEWS email John Lennon of the Beatles is shown in this Dec. 1980 photo taken days before his death. He was scheduled to finish his next album, a follow up to “Double Fantasy," that was released a month earlier and marked his comback after five years in retirement. (AP) NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Sunday, December 7, 2014, 5:37 PM (Originally published by the Daily News on Dec. 9, 1980.

This story was written by Patrick Doyle, Robert Lane and Hugh Bracken.) Former Beatle John Lennon, the 40-year-old lead singer of the most popular rock group in history, was shot to death last night as he stepped from a limousine outside his home in the Dakota, an exclusive apartment building on Central Park West and 72d St. Police arrested a suspect, “described as a local screwball,” minutes after the shooting and charged him with Lennon’s murder. The “smirking” suspect, identified as Mark David Chapman, 25, of Hawaii, was seen in the vicinity of the Dakota for several hours before the shooting and reportedly had hounded Lennon for an autograph several times in the last three or four days. Lennon and his Japanese-born wife, Yoko Ono, were returning to their apartment from a recording session when the shots rang out. Lennon was taken to Roosevelt Hospital in a police radio car and was pronounced dead on arrival in the emergency room. “We tried to save him,” said Dr. Stephen Lynn, director of emergency services.

“We opened his chest and massaged his heart, but he was virtually dead when they brought him in.” Lennon’s body was then taken to the Bellevue Hospital morgue for an autopsy. The life and death of John Lennon Police said Lennon was shot several times at close range inside the large iron gate on the W. 72d St. side of the building and was bleeding profusely when he was placed in the radio car. Lynn said Lennon was brought into the emergency room a few minutes before 11 p.m. and was pronounced dead at 11:07 p.m. “Extensive resuscitation efforts were made, and despite transfusion and other methods, he could not be revived,” Lynn said. The doctor added that “significant damage had been done to a major vessel in the chest. There was a massive blood loss.” Police Officer James Moran, who drove the car that took Lennon to the hospital, said the singer “had no last words.” A witness to the shooting, Sean Strub, said he saw Chapman walk back and forth at the scene of the shooting and then drop a gun. Police said they later recovered a .38-caliber revolver near the courtyard.

Front page of Tuesday, December 9, 1980, edition of the Daily News, with headline reading "John Lennon Slain Here - Ex-Beatle Shot; Nab Suspect." Shows Yoko Ono being helped from Roosevelt Hospital by David Geffen. (Kappock, Gene) John Lennon shot story (New York Daily News) Strub said Chapman, whom he described as pudgy and dressed in a brown jacket, scuffled with the police immediately after they arrived on the scene. “Chapman almost had a smirk on his face,” Strub said. A woman who identified herself as Nina McFadden of W. 94th St. said she heard the shots and then watched as Chapman paced back and forth and threw his jacket to the ground. “I saw John and Yoko step out of the limousine,” she said. “They walked inside the gate. Then I heard four or five shots. They were loud, ear-shattering. “I heard Yoko scream, ‘Help, help. Help him’,” McFadden said. “It was then that I saw the man with the gun and watched him drop it from his side to the ground,” McFadden said.

John Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, arrive at The Hit Factory, a recording studio in New York City, the summer before Lennon was murdered outside the Dakota on Dec. 8th. (STEVE SANDS/AP) She said she then saw a man walk over to the building security guard and heard him say, “I would leave here if I were you.” Six policemen put Lennon into the car for the mile ride to the hospital. The sobbing Yoko, who has told interviewers she is 47, was “very distraught” and “couldn’t believe” Lennon was dead, according to police and a large crowd of fans who gathered silently outside the hospital emergency room as word of Lennon’s death spread. Several hundred persons maintained a vigil outside the Dakota. Most carried radios and listened to news accounts of the singer’s death. Barbara Tyree, a maid who was taking care of two children on the ground floor of the apartment building, said she was shocked by the shots and terrified when she looked out the window into the courtyard. “The courtyard was suddenly filled with people,” she said.

“It’s terrible, terrible.” Yoko Ono, center, and John Lennon, right, are shown with Allen Klein, president of ABKCO Industries Inc., and former Beatles manager. (AP) Ruth Ford, who lives in the fifth floor of the Dakota, said she was writing Christmas cards when she heard the shots. “I looked down into the yard from my kitchen,” she said. “I immediately called the police and Roosevelt Hospital.” She said she knew Lennon and Yoko but did not know Lennon was the shooting victim until the elevator man told her. Lennon’s producer, Jack Douglas, who arrived at the hospital shortly after Lennon was pronounced dead, said the singer was scheduled soon to put the finishing touches on his next album. Lennon’s latest album “Double Fantasy,” cut with his wife, was released about a month ago and signaled his comeback after five years in retirement. It received generally good reviews, and the album’s hit single, “Starting Over,” soared to the top of the pop charts. The Beatles, disbanded in 1970 after seven phenomenal years together. The last time Lennon met with any of his fellow Beatles was Thanksgiving Day, when he and Ringo Starr dined at the Dakota. Tags:

Question: What age was John Lennon when he was killed?
Answer: 40